The 24th Abell Point Marina Airlie Beach Race Week starts tomorrow with stunning weather forecast for the six-race day event.

Various weather forecast sites commonly used by the sailors are showing a convergence in their models with the week starting at about eight to 10 knot southerly swinging east and then softening and going north over the week. 

Principal Race Officer Ross Chisholm has reviewed the forecast for the first two days. “It seems reasonably light and fairly consistent in direction. I still expect good racing. We should get the racing off on time on the first day,” Chisholm said.

Chisholm comes to his first Airlie Race Week with a solid resume. He has been an International Race Officer since 1996 and spent the last six years as PRO at all the major events in Asia, his most recent being June’s Koh Samui Regatta.

That time in Asia has prepared him well for the coming week of forecasted soft winds.  It has also given him a good background in managing a mixed fleet.

“It’s a fairly mixed bag. There’s everything in there in the Multihull Division. That division is going to be quite challenge as there is such a disparity in performance between the fast, outright racers, and the cruising multihulls. That is probably going to be the biggest challenge, that is, trying to organise courses that suit the fast boats, but also give the slow boats the chance to get a finish. The rest is up to the ratings and how they go from there. 

The full entry list is on - www.airlieraceweek.com